More than an Adventure
by Sonic Hero
Summary: Eggman has kidnapped Sonic and threatens to destroy Station Square! The only one who can stop him and rescue Sonic is Knuckles! But what happens if his former rival follows along? COMPLETED!
1. prologue: The journey begins

**Important note:** This is the **updated** version of chapter one. To see the original, e-mail me. These updates were fixed by suggestion of Shadow Stalkr and by my justification.

Note: As always, I don't own Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge, or any other Sega based characters. I, like the other fanfic writers, wrote this for fun (and not profit). Lawsuits? No, thank you.

* * *

Quiet breezes, rustling trees, swaying grass, and natural blue skies make home to Knuckles the Echidna. If you want to find Knuckles,wander through the icy cold cavern,stroll through the grassy field, and cross the narrow, rickety bridge. He is usually there. He is always there. That's his job. 

Knuckles' job is to protect and serve the Master Emerald. The Master Emerald is a massive, green jewel about the size of Knuckles, if not bigger than, and glows a radiant, green luminescence.

The purpose of the Master Emerald is to keep Angel Island floating. If broken or stolen, the island will plunge down from the sky and sink beneath the waves of the ocean. For as long as his memory can serve, he has been protecting the emerald from any danger. He can't explain why he still does, but he feels urged to stay.

Knuckles, the bold, red echidna likes life the way it is. He very seldom leaves the emerald shrine, the resting place for the Master Emerald, and lives mainly off the land. Doing so has made him tough and sturdy. He has a bit of a short fuse, gone off easily by people either teasing or mocking him. It doesn't happen too often, but nothing will stop his anger once he gets all riled up. Mixed with his remarkable strength, no one would want to get near him.

Sitting next to a giant piece of glowing rock all day can feel like a boring duty, considering him having done it for his entire life, but he has actually done much more. He had even helped save the world several times.

But there had been one day, almost two years ago, which he'd never tell anyone, where he and a close friend of his had infiltrated a nefarious villain's base, which may have saved Station Square, the bustling city nearby.

That is what this story is. It's more than a story. It's more than a romance. It's...

**More than an Adventure**

_"Ugh... what a long night."_ Knuckles reluctantly opened his eyes and struggled to get to his feet. He felt a throbbing pain in the back of his head; he must've hit his head on the Master Emerald.

He irritably crossed the narrow wooden bridge and toward two red, rock walls in the East. _"Red Canyon,"_ he thought, _"the boiling hot canyon of lava, steam, and fire."_ He trained here every morning. Eggman's robots swarmed Red Canyon, which were ideal punching bags for Knuckles. He took a few steps toward the gate, when a brilliant green flash blinded him.

Knuckles shielded his eyes. "What? This hasn't happened before..." He squinted to just see that the light emanated from the Master Emerald.

He walked back across the bridge and toward the altar. As suddenly as it came, the light disappeared, and then began to slowly rotate. After a brief moment of tranquility, Knuckles could hear a faint, soothing voice.

"Knuckles? Are you there?"

Knuckles looked around in panic. "Who's there?" he said, with a little intimidation in his voice. "Show yourself!"

"Knuckles, it's me! Over here!"

Knuckles turned toward the voice. It came from the Master Emerald. "Umm, who... who are you?"

"I am Tikal," the emerald said. "I am thespirit of the 7 emeralds. There's an emergency."

"Tikal..." Knuckles repeated. "That sounds... familiar..."

"True," Tikal replied, "but there isn't much time. I have a mission for you. It may just save your city, the Mystic Ruins, and your island altogether."

"Then you'll want to talk to Sonic about that," he said. "If the world's in peril, then he'll be the one to save it."

"Umm, well, about that..." Tikal said, with a little sadness in her voice. "That's part of the mission."

Knuckles sighed. "Well, then tell me about this mission, then."

"Dr. Robotnik... has your friend, Sonic. Captured. He, too, was to go after Eggman and stop his plans... but it failed."

Dr. Robotnik, or more often known as Eggman, is an evil genius, with killer robots, doomsday weapons, and a giant space colony at his disposal. Sonic and his friends always tried to beat him, and succeeded, but he always managed to get away.

"So what should I do?" Knuckles asked.

"Eggman's base is in a city far away from here," she explained. "You should leave as soon as you can."

"I'll leave now," he replied, turning to walk away.

"Wait!" Tikal shouted, getting Knuckles to come back. "I have two suggestions. My first is to bring the Master Emerald with you. It can give you power, and I'll always be there to help and give you advice."

Hesitantly, Knuckles heaved the emerald from the altar and placed it somewhere behind his back.

"Good," Tikal continued. "My other suggestion is to bring along a friend of yours. Sonic might not be an option, but you have other friends."

Knuckles paused to think. "Well... how 'bout Tails?" he asked. "Oh, wait, he's been on vacation for a while, now..."

Tails is a yellow fox that has the ability to fly in the air using his only two tails as a propeller. He is also Sonic's best friend. He has an IQ of 300, and he's just as smart as Eggman. However, Tails is but 10 years old, and he uses his intelligence for good. He has his own plane, which he built himself, and looks up to Sonic like an older brother.

"What about Amy?" Knuckles asked. "Maybe if we tell her about Sonic's situation..."

"She's already gone searching for him, but she's going the wrong way. I don't think anyone told her where he is, exactly."

Amy is a pink hedgehog that always wears a red dress. She has a large piko-piko hammer that emits pink hearts with every swing. She is obsessed with Sonic, anddevises new ways to get him to marry her, even if it means a brutal confrontation.

"I can't really think of anyone else..." Knuckles finally said.

"Well..." Tikal started. "What about your friend, Rouge?"

Knuckles crossed his arms and turned away. "She doesn't even qualify as a friend," said he. "That thief stole my emerald, insulted me, and even tried to hurt me!"

"Yeah, I know, but..."

Knuckles turned around again. "What?"

"I do recall you saving her life once, am I right?"

He looked down, remembering the moment clearly. Rouge slipped off a metal beam stories above a fiery inferno. Within a split second, Knuckles reached down and grabbed her. "How'd you know?"

Tikal giggled. "The emerald was there. I saw it."

Knuckles wasn't amused. "Whatever. I did that because she had the other pieces of the master emerald. I couldn't let-"

"Right..." Tikal interrupted.

"Well, if the 'spirit of the 7 chaos emeralds' insists..." he sighed again. "Then I guess I should. But before I go, I must ask: Why do you want me to go with her so bad? I mean, I didn't mention Cream, Omega, Big-"

"You two were meant for each other," she interrupted again. "Haven't you realized that?"

Knuckles glared. "I _swear, _when this is over..."

"Just trust me on this one," she said. Before Knuckles could say more, the emerald dimmed to its normal glow.

"Another day..." he crossed the bridge. "Another humiliating event to endure in order to save the world..." he sighed. "Again."

* * *

What will happen to Knuckles on his new adventure? Will he be able to get along with Rouge? Was what Tikal said true? And will Sonic be saved? Tune in for the next installment of... 

**More than an Adventure**


	2. Chapter 1: And then there were two

**Chapter 2: And then there were two**

Note: Okay, this should be pretty long, so be grateful! Oh, and this is my first attempt at a fight scene, too, so I apologize if it's bad.

**(9:46 A.M, Night Babylon, Club Rouge)**

This is Night Babylon, the city of nightclubs, casinos, bars, hotels, and commercial-type buildings open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Flashing lights, lit-up billboards, electronic slots, video poker, and gambling-oriented activities fill the city. But for some unexplained reason, it's always night there. Even right now, 9:45 in the morning, it is still night. 24/7. But it's still visible in Night Babylon. After all, the flashing colored lights surrounding the buildings. Overall, Night Babylon is a nice place for the nocturnal people that just want some time off.

Anyway, our story continues in one of the top ten nightclubs in Night Babylon, Club Rouge, owned by the famous treasure hunter, Rouge the Bat. Rouge is a bat about the same height as Knuckles. She is a beautiful undercover spy agent for the government, and meets the president on a daily basis. She has worked for Eggman before, but it was only to gather information for the president. But the most known fact about her it that she is obsessed with jewelry. Any kind of jewelry appeals to her-emeralds, diamonds, crystals, ruby, and other kinds. She is also known as a master jewel thief, getting any kind of jewel she can get her hands on. No amount of security can stop her. Knuckles' Master Emerald is her prime target. She has once made an attempt to steal it, but it ended up breaking it in many pieces. She then tried getting as many pieces as she could, and keep them for herself. But afterward, Knuckles saved Rouge from the fiery pit, and she reluctantly gave him the pieces she had. Rouge had remained herself after that, but she respected him a little more.

On that day, there was a long, long line of men lining up outside Club Rouge. Inside, Rouge was sitting behind a table, wearing a white T-shirt with a small, pink heart on it, and baggy jeans. "Next," she said. A Green hedgehog came up to the table. "Hello, Miss Rouge, I'm Manic the Hedgehog." He smiled. Rouge didn't bother looking at him. "Next." The green hedgehog frowned, and walked away. A blue fox came up to table next. "Name?" Rouge asked, still not looking up. Before the blue fox could reply, a familiar, deep voice was shouting in the distance. "Pardon me, excuse me. Hey, move outta my way!" Rouge tilted her head up.

Knuckles was shuffling through the long line of people. Once he had almost gotten to the front, a red Hedgehog stopped him. "Hey, echidna," the hedgehog said. "If you wanna see the lovely Madam Rouge, you're gonna have to wait your turn like everyone else. Knuckles ignored him and went around him. The red hedgehog pushed him. "Hey! Did you hear me?" Knuckles glared at him. "Look, I don't have time for this." He said. "I need to speak with Rouge." The hedgehog glared. "So do the rest of us!" Knuckles was puzzled. "Just look behind you." The hedgehog added. Knuckles turned around and saw a sign next to the table that read:

_ Win a date with Rouge, the beautiful treasure hunter! Line starts here._

Knuckles slapped himself in the face. "I'm not here for that!" He shouted. "Now if you'll excuse me..." He tried getting past the hedgehog, but he just pushed him. "Either way, echidna, you're gonna have to go through me, first." Knuckles shook his fist. "Are you asking for a fight?" The hedgehog just laughed. "Nothing gets past you, doesn't it?"

Before Knuckles could reply, Rouge shouted from her table. "Stop it, you two!" The two looked at her. Rouge noticed who the red echidna was. "Knuckles?" Knuckles went up to the table. No one dared to stop him. "Rouge, I need your help," he started. "The world may be in grave danger." Rouge gave him a puzzled look. Knuckles stared. "What?" Rouge pointed to the sign he had read earlier. Knuckles just shook his head. "No, I'm not here for that!" Rouge sighed in relief. "I need you to help me!" Knuckles continued. "Eggman is plotting another world domination scheme!" Rouge finally spoke. "Eggman?" Knuckles took a step back. "Come with me." Rouge looked back the line. The people in line were getting annoyed by Knuckles. Rouge sighed. "I'll be right back." She finally said. She left the table and went into another room. The line was ticked off. The red echidna stepped out of line. "That's it, echidna, you've crossed the line, now!" he said. "It's one thing to cut in front of us, but to steal the great Madam Rouge just crosses the line! Now it's time you pay!" Knuckles knew he was going to end up in a battle.

The hedgehog charged at Knuckles, arms apart, at super speed. Knuckles jumped in the air, right before the hedgehog got there. Before Knuckles could attack, the hedgehog grabbed his legs and slammed Knuckles down on his back. Knuckles got back up and saw another charge coming. Knuckles didn't move. Right as the hedgehog came at him, Knuckles grabbed his arm, swung him around, and threw him at the table, breaking it in two.

The emerald glowed. "Knuckles..." Tikal said. "Remember, you can use the emerald..." The emerald's glow faded back to its normal, dim glow. Knuckles pulled out the emerald and looked into it. The hedgehog that got slammed into the table slowly got up. Knuckles closed his eyes and tried to absorb the emerald's power. Nothing happened. The hedgehog spotted Knuckles and picked up the nearby folding chair Rouge was sitting in. Knuckles still didn't feel any different. The hedgehog ran at an incredible speed at Knuckles, with blood-red eyes. Knuckles stuck out an arm in front of himself and closed his eyes, knowing it was too late to dodge it. And then...

**BAM!!!**

Knuckles slowly opened his eyes and saw the hedgehog lying on the ground in front of him. The hedgehog got up, confused, and then swung another punch at him, but his hand suddenly stopped. Knuckles put both of his hands in front of him, but his hands stooped, too. He finally realized what had happened. He was inside an invisible shield! He grinned at his sudden change of luck. The hedgehog realized he had no chance of beating him, and made a break for the exit. Knuckles felt a sudden drop in energy. His force field was gone. The line of people, who watched the whole fight, applauded at his victory.

Rouge came back from the room she was in. "Okay, I'm ready to go..." She stopped mid-sentence at the sight of the crowd's applause. "Did I miss something?" She said. A few people in the crowd pointed at the now-busted table. Rouge gasped. Knuckles soon came up to her. "Knuckles..." she said. "What did you do?" Knuckles was breathing heavily from his last battle. "Ready to go?" Rouge slowly nodded. "Good." Knuckles finished. He grabbed Rouge by the wrist and walked out of the club, with the crowd still clapping and whistling.

"I'll just leave that question unanswered." Rouge said, lightly smiling. "Anyway, where are we off to, fearless adventurer?" Knuckles let go of her wrist. "Sand Ocean. That's where Eggman is. Rouge nodded. "I can tell this is going to be a long day." Knuckles nodded in agreement. "That is, if we don't encounter anymore jerks like that one." Rouge was puzzled. "Wait, what did you mean by..." "Never mind!!!" Knuckles interrupted.

Will Knuckles encounter anymore obstacles? Will Knuckles and Rouge save the day? Will the two of them soon become more... entwined? Tune in for the next installment of

**More Than Adventure**


	3. Chapter 2: A room for two

**Chapter 3: A room for two.**

Note: Sorry it been SO long I've updated. I've been... busy. Here you go. Sorry if the ARK scene isn't entirely accurate.

Note 2: Thank you to all those who reviewed! I'm glad I have some fans for this story. For you all, and extra juicy chapter! Enjoy!

**7 PM at the summit of Holy Mountain**

"So... those men in line... thought you were in line for _that._" Rouge was still confused and surprised at Knuckles' sudden entry.

Knuckles simply nodded, looking ahead. He tried to forget about it as much as possible.

"Sorry," she continued "if I embarrassed you."

Knuckles shook his head. "It's okay."

Rouge shook her head quickly. She really felt like forgetting it, too. "Anyway, what exactly did you bring me for?" A smirk spread across her face. "Or is this _really _a date?"

Knuckles glared at her. "Don't try that."

Rouge crossed her arms and scoffed. "Well, then what are we doing, where are we, and where the heck are we going!"

Knuckles sighed. "...we're actually trying to save the world."

Rouge laughed to herself. "Again?"

"Again. Long story short, Eggman's trying to take over the world once more. This time, Sonic got captured. Tails is on vacation, Amy is said to be looking for her, but no one knows exactly where she is..."

**Meanwhile,**

"Sonic? Where are you? Sonic!" Amy shouted aloud. "...I'd better ask this person here." She walked to one of the local residents. "Excuse me, but have you seen this hedgehog?"

She held up a copy of "Sonic Adventure: Directors Cut," pointing to the picture of Sonic.

The penguin she was talking to squawked in confusion.

"Thank you for your time." She replied.

**Back at the mountain,**

"...Big the Cat is fishing, but no one really needs him..."

"Okay, I get it." Rouge didn't want to bother listening to the rest. "Now where are we?"

"This is Holy Mountain. Eggman's base is at the bottom of the mountain... on the other side. That's where we are headed."

Rouge was surprised. "On the other side?" She looked at the sky. The sun was only an hour away from setting. "We aren't going to make it over there before the night."

Knuckles stopped. "You're right... well; our other only option is to climb to the top. There's a nice hotel up there." He pointed to a large building, with hundreds of lit windows flashing back. Smoke emanated from the chimney. "It's not that far away, really."

"How do you know all this?" Rouge perked her ears, a sign of curiosity.

Knuckles pointed to a small hut downhill from their location. "That's my house."

Rouge didn't know what to feel about Knuckles' idea of a home. She figured she'd ask him later. She walked ahead of Knuckles. "Let's go to the hotel, then." She told him over her shoulder. "We can get Eggman tomorrow."

Knuckles caught up with her. "You really think he'll put it off 'til tomorrow?"

"Well... maybe. I mean, no matter what kind of wild stunt he pulls, he always seems to give us at least_ some_ time to stop him. Besides, I have reliable connections that tell me the status of his latest projects."

Knuckles felt encouraged to ask about her "connections," but thought it best not to ask. He tried to find another topic. "So... do you still steal jewels?"

Rouge laughed, as if he were joking. Knuckles wasn't amused. "Didn't I say I would stop?" She remembered that conversation aboard the ARK. "Since then, I haven't owned an item of jewelry that hasn't been bought."

Knuckles remembered it, too. It was not too long after Shadow's sorrowful death, when the two had discussed their future in the main observatory room, along with the others. Knuckles could remember the conversation almost perfectly, which felt somewhat strange to him.

**ARK main observatory room, Day X**

"_So, what's next for you, Rouge?" _Knuckles asked._ "Off to steal those jewels you love so much?"_

Rouge could tell he was finally warming up to her for once, so she decided to be friendly._ "No, I'm thinking of quitting that whole thing." _Knuckles felt a hint of softness in her voice._ "Too much work for too little pay. Besides, I have something else on my mind right now."_

Knuckles didn't understand what that was supposed to mean, if anything. Rouge smiled at him, reassuringly._ "It'll all work out. You'll see."_

Knuckles smiled back._ "If you say so."_

**Back at the mountain**

"Knuckles?"

Knuckles was startled to hear Rouge's voice and snapped out of his flashback. Rouge game him a look that just died to ask what he was thinking about. Knuckles read it. "Sorry. I was... remembering about that whole ARK incident." They both remained silent.

They both felt that awkward, unsettling silence until they reached the hotel. The hotel was very large, considering the fact that there are no other buildings for miles. There are tons of windows above, each with their own small balcony to overlook the mountain. Looking up, Knuckles smiled at the stars, in their large numbers. Rouge rolled her eyes.

Right as they entered, they were both taken back by the warmth of the lobby rushing out. The floors were made of ceramic tiles, carrying the reflection of the ceiling lights. To the left, a seating area full of plush chairs, a couple coffee tables, and a grand fireplace. To the right, a cheerful young lady standing behind a polished, marble counter.

"Welcome to the Snowy Heights Hotel," said the receptionist. "Will you be checking in?"

Knuckles urged to answer, but Rouge beat him to it. "Can you get us a room for two? It's just for one night."

The receptionist began typing on her nearby computer. "A lovely room for the lovely couple!"

Knuckles was fuming. "Couple!"

Rouge nudged him hard in the gut. "Would you have a suite available?" she asked.

The receptionist looked at her apologetically. "Terribly sorry, but we only have one-roomers." She said. "But there _are_ two beds and a fold-out couch in each room."

Knuckles began to protest, but Rouge quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. "We'll take it."

The receptionist continued typing. Knuckles glared at Rouge. "Look, I'm sure there's another hotel around here somewhere," he urged.

"Well, there isn't, Knuckles." Rouge shot back with just as much intensity. The receptionist was both confused and frightened by their odd relationship. "At least be glad we aren't sleeping out in the snow, because that's our only option, got it?"

Knuckles growled in response. The receptionist looked at Knuckles questioningly. "Sir?"

Knuckles spun around and barked at the lady. "What?"

Both the receptionist and Rouge were surprised by Knuckles' sudden lashing out. The receptionist was the first to speak. "Umm, the cost of the room for one night is 150 rings."

Knuckles took out what he had in his pocket and quickly counted them all. "Umm... I only have 32 rings." Rouge didn't seem surprised. She pulled out a shiny, plastic credit card and handed it to the lady. "You can take it off the checking account."

Knuckles stared at his rings momentarily, then handed them to Rouge. "Sorry... I'll pay you the rest later." Rouge pushed his offer back to him. "Don't." her voice sounded kind, but her face didn't show any signs of feeling. "I'll cover it."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" The two both looked at the lady behind the desk. The receptionist cleared her throat and handed them a pair of keys. On the key rings were giant plastic tags, both with a bold number 62. "Your room is number sixty-four." She smiled. "It's a floor up from this one. Have a nice night!"

Rouge followed Knuckles to a nearby elevator and pressed a button with an arrow pointing upward. "I hate this place already," she whispered to Knuckles. A ding chimed above them. A few seconds passed, and the mirror-like doors slowly opened. Knuckles followed Rouge into the elevator and pushed the button for the next floor. Cheesy elevator music was playing in a small speaker above them.

The doors closed and the elevator shook and rattled as it ascended. Not too long after moving, the elevator stopped rather suddenly. The lights dimmed and the music was cut off. Knuckles threw is hand up in the air, frustrated. "Great. This has been wonderful so far."

"Knuckles, calm down. We'll be fine." Rouge assured him.

The elevator made a sudden jolt downward, knocking Rouge onto Knuckles and both of them to the floor. Rouge opened her eyes and found her self on top of Knuckles, staring directly at his face, mere inches away. Knuckles was just a surprised to see her. With slight hesitation, he rolled over and got back up to his feet. The telephone rang in a box below the buttons.

Rouge scoffed at Knuckles. She tried to express her frustration, but was at a loss for words. She opened the box and picked up the phone. "Yeah?"

"Hi, this is the front desk. We're really sorry about the elevator. We're fixing it right away, and it should be done in a matter of seconds."

Rouge hung up the phone and turned to Knuckles. "That hurt, you know."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, really, it was just..."

Silence followed. After a few seconds went by, the elevator gave a small jolt, then began to move normally. Almost immediately, another ding was made, and the doors opened to the hallway.

Finally, the two had reached room number 62. Rouge used her key and opened the door to their room. Like most hotels, it cam with a small kitchen and bathroom, and a television in the main room. Two beds occupied most of the room, separated by a telephone stand.

Rouge looked at the digital clock on the stand. "It's not even nine yet," she turned to Knuckles. "Would you like to go look outside and see the view? I need to change anyway."

Knuckles looked at the wilding glass door on the opposing side of the room. "There's a balcony?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Yeah, most hotels come with one. Well... most. This one does, at least."

Knuckles started for the door. "Hey, Knuckles?" he immediately turned around. "I know we're here because we're trying to stop Eggman and all, but don't feel that that's your main focus." Knuckles found her coming closer to him as she talked. "We're in a hotel, so just relax, okay? You deserve a break." She smiled sweetly. Although it was odd to hear this from Rouge, it felt nice to hear that she cares a bit for him. "I'll meet you on the balcony, then." Knuckles smiled and walked to the glass.

Knuckles gazed through the sliding glass door. Rouge was right, outside was a balcony, about the size of a long couch, with side railing made of black iron. He opened the door and steeped outside. Immediately realizing how cold it is outside, he turned back to the sliding glass door, but found the Rouge had pulled the curtains on him. Knuckles remembered Rouge said she was changing, so decided it best to just stay outside.

He turned back and rested against the railing. With all the bizarre events happening, he had almost forgotten about his "mission." He searched the bottom of the mountain for Eggman's base, but all the buildings looked alike. He also remembered Sonic, and wondered how he was doing.

His thoughts were interrupted with a sudden green glow. He pulled out from behind him the Master Emerald. "Hello, Knuckles," Tikal's mystical voice echoed. "How're you and Rouge hitting it off?"

"Just fine, really. We-" Knuckles caught the meaning of the question. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Tikal laughed. "Nothing. Never mind." Knuckles glared. "I'm sorry, I was just checking up on you, and wondered how you were doing."

"Fine, thank you." Knuckles felt annoyed by a lot. "Look, can I be alone right now?"

Tikal tried to sound polite. "Oh, of course! Sorry to bother you." Knuckles stashed the emerald behind him.

Knuckles sighed and leaned heavily on the iron railing. It felt like such a long journey already, but little did he know, the night was far from over, and so was their adventure.

Is the night really that far off? What will yet to come through the night? Will Sonic be saved and Eggman vanquished? And is that bonding I sense between them?

CLIFFHANGER NEXT CHAPTER!

So please read the next exciting chapter of when two opposing souls reluctantly come together and find that their journey is much more than an adventure.

I'm Sonic Hero. Good night, everybody!

(Reviews are greatly appreciated)


	4. Chapter 3: The Balcony

**Chapter 4: On the balcony**

Note: I thank you all for your reviews! I'm glad you all like this story! I'll make this my top-priority for fanfics to finish. So for all my minions, err, adoring fans, a long, juicy chapter that'll make you drool.

Knuckles looked up at the starry sky. Dozens of planets and constellations Knuckles recognized were up that night. The moon shone brilliantly in the east, the once white and fluffy snow of the mountaintops darkened to a grey, and a luminous city of the night life lay below.

He began to wonder more about Tikal. Who was this spirit, and why had she wanted Knuckles for this? And why had she suggested Rouge to come with him? As the day turned into night, it felt as if the questions wouldn't stop flooding his mind.

Rouge seemed to be taking her time inside. Knuckles turned back to the sliding glass door, the curtains still closed. It seemed to Knuckles that Rouge had really changed her attitude about him. Knuckles feared that he would, too.

Knuckles turned back to the railing and lay his head in his folded arms. Everything had been running by him so quickly. He felt more confused than Tails at a redneck convention.

The sound of the sliding glass door was heard, and Knuckles spun around. Standing before him was Rouge, wearing what Knuckles remembered to be her stealth suit (from Sonic Adventure 2). Her suit consisted of long, yet tight, black pants that turned into a pair of white boots. At what seemed to be her top was a large, pink heart. Rouge smirked at Knuckles, noticing Knuckles awkward reaction to her change of clothes. "You like?"

Knuckles found that he was smiling somehow, and turned his head away quickly. His cheeks were red with embarrassment. "You look great."

Rouge blushed, too, and joined Knuckles by the railing. "So..." she hesitated. "I have to ask this. Why'd you want to bring _me_ along? There's only so many other friends of yours."

Knuckles was trying to avoid telling Rouge about Tikal, but didn't want to act dumb. "They were all busy," he stammered, "besides, I guess I'd like to talk with you some more."

Rouge laughed. "So this is just your little excuse to going out with me?"

Knuckles was at a loss for a comeback. Rouge loved toying with him like this, and he knew it. "No, it's..." he sighed. "Forget it."

A long, awkward silence followed.

Knuckles sighed again. "Nice night, isn't it?"

"Yeah," she said, still looking out into the sky. "Is it like this back at Angel Island?"

"It is. I just don't have anyone else with me at-"

"Do you remember when you saved me?"

Rouge's question startled Knuckles. "What do you-" he stopped, realizing what she meant. Not long ago was the day that almost caused the end of the world. Knuckles had met up with Rouge in a large structure consisting only of construction beams and fought for the master emerald.

Knuckles closed his eyes. Everything fell into place before him almost perfectly.

** Day X, Meteor Herd**

_ Knuckles and Rouge, two bitter rivals from the start, were battling for the remaining shards of the once-whole Master Emerald. They both climbed to the highest beam of the structure and caught their breath. Below them, a 4 story drop into a pit of bubbling lava._

_ "Stop fooling around!" They both shouted, almost simultaneously, "and give me back MY emeralds!"_

_ Rouge was taken back by Knuckles' wordss. "What are you babbling about? You call yourself a hunter? Attacking a lady?" she put her hands to herself and flushed her eyes, trying to act innocent. "Shame on you!"_

_ Knuckles thrust himself forward. "What kind of lady goes around stealing gems, anyway?"_

_ Rouge stomped her foot down. "Those belong to me- AHH!" Her foot slipped off the beam she had been standing on, and fell off the beam. She screamed in terror as she watched Knuckles and raised her hand to him, desperately. She closed her eyes and felt the wind rush past her._

_ She felt a sudden jerk as she stopped screaming. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found Knuckles grabbing her arm, and hanging on the beam only with his other arm. "What in the world?" she muttered to herself._

_ Knuckles pulled him and Rouge to the beam. Rouge kneeled close to him and looked down. She followed her eyes up Knuckles until their eyes were on each other. Neither one moved._

_ Finally, Rouge quickly pushed herself back and onto her feet. "Keep your hands to yourself! Don't touch me."_

_ Knuckles swung back. "Is that how you say thanks to someone who just saved your life?" he snapped back._

_ "Saved my life," Rouge mocked. "Don't think I owe you one. You just wanted to hold my hand. That's why you saved me." She smirked and narrowed her eyes. "You're such a creep."_

_ Knuckles shook his head. "This isn't a joke you know!" Knuckles steamed. "Think what you want, Batgirl, I was saving the master emerald."_

_ Rouge looked away and remained silent for a moment. Then she threw her head up in exasperation. "Ugh! No matter what you say, it sounds crazy."_

_ She took all the master emerald shards she had and threw them on the beam in front of him. Knuckles glanced at the shards, then back at Rouge, obviously confused. Rouge crossed her arms. "Fine, then just take them." she said. "They stink, like echidnas do."_

_ Knuckles had already started gathering the pieces together. "If that's what you thought, you should've given them to me in the first place!" The Master Emerald had finally been reassembled, and retained its green aura. Knuckles put his hands over it. "Finally!"_

_ He looked up to Rouge. Rouge crossed her arms and turned away. Knuckles looked back at their childish arguments and felt a wave of guilt befall him. "I'm sorry," he said. "If I hurt you." He took the emerald and glided off into the distance, with one less rival in his mind and one more friend in his heart._

** Back at the balcony**

"Knuckles?" Rouge was waving her hand in front of him. "Knuckles, are you awake?"

Knuckles opened his eyes and saw frustrated Rouge waving her hand in front of him. "Sorry." He groaned.

Rouge's anger quickly faded into concern. "You were thinking about it, weren't you?" Knuckles nodded. Rogue started towards him. "I'm sorry I was so rude about the whole thing. I should've given those pieces back to you in the first place." She leaned on the rail again, now close to Knuckles. "I feel bad about it."

"It's all in the past." Knuckles said, reassuringly. "We can't change what we've done. But for the record," he put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, too."

Knuckles' hand sent a wave of warmth throughout her. She smiled back at him. "Are you ever lonely on your island?" she asked. "Have you ever really had any friends?"

"Besides Sonic and Tails? No." Knuckles sighed. "I've been on that island for as long as I can remember, watching over this emerald, and guarding it from intruders. I can never really leave. So I don't really have many friends."

He put his hand on hers. "Except you." He added. "I'll probably never be lonely while I know you." Rouge took her hand in his. They both locked eyes, not just seeing each other, but knowing each other. Rouge threw her arms around him and embraced. Knuckles hugged her back.

"Thank you." Rouge said quietly. She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed.

Knuckles felt a surge of warmth from Rouge. "You tired?" he asked. Rouge slowly nodded. "We should get some sleep if we're going to get Eggman tomorrow."

Rouge slowly backed away and headed for the door. As she slid the door open, she turned back to Knuckles, who returned back to the railing. "Are you coming?" she asked.

Knuckles shook his head and gazed out at the stars. "In a few more minutes."

Rouge hesitated. She glanced at the hotel room, then back at Knuckles. The reflection of the moonlight glowed in his eyes. Rouge crept up to Knuckles and kissed him on the cheek. Knuckles was completely red. Rouge put her hand on his shoulder. "Good night, Knuckles."

Rouge walked back into the room and closed the door behind her. Knuckles rubbed his cheek. All of the thoughts and questions in his head seemed to multiply.

A few more minutes passed, and Knuckles found no reason to stay outside any longer. As he headed to his bed, he passed by Rouge's. She had already fallen asleep. A smile escaped his face. "Good night, Rouge."

** The next morning**

Knuckles dashed out of the door of the hotel room and down the stairs to the lobby. On Rouge's bed was a letter with an imprint of an egg with a jagged, orange mustache, left on the bed of the ransacked hotel room.

_ Knuckles,_

_ It is I, Dr. Eggman! Having trouble finding your roommate? Well, let me save you the trouble of looking. I have captured your little girl, Rouge, and she's now with me at my base down the side of this mountain. I've got a score to settle with her for double-crossing me._

_ However, I can change both the fate of Sonic AND Batgirl if you do me a favor. You know what I want, Knuckles. I want the Master Emerald (I couldn't find it in here...). You have exactly 5 hours after you wake to haul hide over here, or else both Rouge and Sonic are going on a little ride to their deaths!_

_ Dr. Eggman_

Knuckles finally reached the lobby and skiided to a haltbefore the receptionist. "I'd like to check out, please." he managed.

The receptionist did as she was told without hesitation. "Sure, but what's the hurry?"

"I have to save my girlfriend."


	5. Chapter 4: A Deal's a Deal

**Chapter 4: A Deal's a Deal**

Note: Ooh! You like my cliffhanger, didn't you? Didn't you? Anyway, here's the next part.

Another note: YAY! A long one! Just a treat for all my reviewers.

Hmm? Oh, right, all the characters so far (excluding the receptionist) are characters owned by SEGA. I do not in any way own any of them.

As he dashed out of the hotel, Knuckles tried to think about the mission: put a stop to Eggman's "take-over-the-world" scheme, rescue Sonic, and return home it the emerald.

But as hard as he tried to concentrate on his mission, all he could think about was his other captured companion, Rouge the Bat. Was she alright? Would she know where Sonic is or what Eggman is up to? Is she even still alive?

Knuckles stopped running to catch his breath and gazed down the white & snowy mountain. The small, luminous city seen last night lay below. Eggman's base stuck out like Big the Cat in a bus of nuns. The base was a large red/orange dome with two big, black eyes. Knuckles was surprised no one had caught him earlier.

"I suppose it'd be quick to just walk down," Knuckles thought aloud, "but I think I'll need a super-fast ride if I want to get there in less than five hours."

He looked around him for a mode of downhill transportation - a snowmobile, a sled, or even anything that could substitute a sled. Finally, he found a snowmobile standing out in the middle of the snow with its keys in the ignition. Knuckles lucked out.

Knuckles' luck immediately plummeted as fast as he did; his first step toward the snowmobile was a trip over an inconveniently placed rock. Knuckles fell with blinding speed and got a face full of snow. As he got up, he tripped over himself and began rolling sideways.

Knuckles, rolling with increasing speed, tried to get back onto his feet, but found himself just getting hurt in the process. The snow gathered around him and curled him up into a ball. Knuckles had accidentally turned into a rapidly growing snowball, heading for the city.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rouge was being held captive by two large orange robots. They held their captive by the arms and half-dragged her to a long row of high-tech jail cells. She could hardly remember what happened the night before. After she had gone back inside, all she could remember seeing was Eggman. But what would Eggman want with her?

Rouge looked through each one as they passed by. The first two empty, then a cell occupied by two devil chao, then a cell with a rotting skeleton, then another empty one, where the robots stopped.

The gates opened slowly, the dulled iron bars grinding and cranks clanking, and Rouge was shoved into the cell. As she spun around, the gate was immediately closed and locked. She grasped the bars and shook violently, but no luck. Rouge took a few steps back from the bars and locked her eyes on the bolt. With one swift kick, she hit the lock with a loud clang, but the lock remained undamaged.

Rouge sighed and sat on the cold, concrete floor. "Well, I guess this means I'll be staying here a while." She observed her gloomy, cold, and incredibly dark surroundings. "With luck, I might manage to last about..." she slammed her head on the bars. "2 days." She rubbed her head from the harder-than-expected impact.

A raspy, yet somewhat familiar voice called to her from behind. "At least you'll have company."

Rouge, more curious than startled, turned to the dark shadows that were the rest of the cell. Only an outline of the occupant was visible, but Rouge could make out to be spikes on his back, gloves, and smooth, pointed shoes. Rouge got to her feet. "And who might you be?"

"I'm the one you came here for," returned the mysterious figure.

Out of the shadows, the stranger stepped forward to reveal that he was a blue hedgehog with green eyes, a large, tan oval that occupied most of his chest, and two red shoes with a white stripe on each.

Rouge smiled at who she had figured out to be. "Sonic the Hedgehog."

Sonic smiled back. "And you would be Rouge the Bat? I believe we met on the ARK."

Rouge nodded. "We came to come rescue you."

Sonic looked at her quizzically. "We?" he queried.

Rouge gasped, realizing that she had no idea what had become of Knuckles. "Oh no!" she shouted. "We need to find Knuckles! Do you know if Eggman has done anything with him?"

Sonic shook his head. "I've only been here for... let's see... five days. I haven't been out of this cell since. I haven't even seen Eggman at all, yet alone your boyfriend, Knuckles."

"Well, I hope he come soon." Rouge sighed and turned away. "Maybe he's still at the hotel-" She glared at Sonic. "Did you just say he is my boyfriend?"

Sonic shrugged. "Isn't he?"

"He is not!" she exclaimed. "Just because we both like the emerald, we shared a hotel room, and I kissed him last night doesn't make him my boyfriend!"

They both stood in fearful silence, recollecting what was just said. Sonic was first to speak. "Rouge?"

"Yeah?"

"Is he?"

Rouge sighed and slouched to the ground and propped against the concrete wall. "Would you not tell anyone?" Sonic nodded, which was good enough for Rouge. "I'll admit it. Yeah. I like him. A lot. I know how he tries to act independent and tough, but deep down, he's just a lonely soul that wants a companion.

"That's why he saved me. At the meteor herd. After that stupid fight, no matter how much he hated me then, he saved my life. He cared enough for me, his rival, to lend me his hand before that fateful fall.

"It was then I liked him. I don't know when I tell him this, if at all, but I know it won't happen easily. And even if Knuckles likes me too, he won't tell me either." She sighed. "That's love - a long, drawn-out battle between two desperate, yet stubborn souls."

Another long silence followed. "That was kind of sweet. But why won't you tell Knuckles?"

"I... guess I'm too shy to. I just can't go up to him and shout it right at his face." She laughed, imagining actually doing it.

"Well, I think you just need to find the right moment for it-"

Rouge swung her hand and turned away. "What would you know about this? You're not an adult. You haven't had a girlfriend in your life."

Sonic was silent. Then finally, "Do you know Amy Rose?"

Rouge said "that persistent pink girl? I wish I didn't. Why? You like her?" She turned back to Sonic to find he was now looking at the ground, his cheeks red. Rouge sighed again. "You know, it'd probably mean the world to her if you told her."

Sonic looked back up at Rouge. "As it would if you told Knuckles what you felt about him." Another long silence followed. "If we ever do get out of here," Sonic continued, "I promise I'll...take Amy to dinner or something. But you really should tell Knuckles. You can't keep flirting with him forever."

Before Rouge could reply, a robot came to the gate and spoke in a monotonous voice. "Dr. Eggman wishes to see the prisoners." As if the statement were a command, the cell doors slid open noisily. The orange robot held a gun to them and led them down the hall.

* * *

Meanwhile, Knuckles had found the entrance to Eggman's hideout after his violent collision with its outer wall. The entrance led to a long, blank hallway with concrete walls and floor. Not much light was visible at the end, but it wasn't exactly far.

Although Eggman had only wanted to make a deal, Knuckles still needed to maintain his concentration. This was Eggman's ground now. There could be traps lurking anywhere.

The end of the hallway reached into what seemed to be some sort of manufacturing company. Conveyor belts stretched in various directions in various places. Claw machines, pressing machines, and other machines indescribable were placed along each one.

A familiar, yet irritating voice echoed. "Ho ho, Knuckles! Here right on time, I see!"

A round, floating, metal contraption rose up from the machinery. It was larger than Knuckles, but could easily be destroyed. In its metal frame, Knuckles could see what it held; Dr. Eggman. "What can I do for you?"

Knuckles had already been tired of playing games. "Quit messing around, Eggman! Where are Sonic and Rouge?"

Eggman's round, floating contraption lowered down to Knuckles' level in front of him. "They'll be here soon, but first things first! I want that master emerald!"

Hesitantly, Knuckles pulled out the glowing green master emerald and held it in front of him. Eggman smiled. "Eggbot! Bring out the prisoners!"

A gate opened to his left, and Sonic and Rouge walked out followed by a robot holding them at gunpoint. Rouge noticed Knuckles, holding the emerald. "Knuckles!" she shouted. "Don't give it to him! We'll make it on our own!"

Knuckles glanced from Eggman, then to the master emerald, and finally, to Rouge. Knuckles closed his eyes and planned what to do. Finally, as his eyes slowly opened, he walked toward Eggman and held the master emerald out to him.

Eggman chuckled as his floating machine grew a robotic arm. The arm made its way toward his emerald to retrieve it. Knuckles suddenly swung the emerald away and started spinning wildly around with the emerald. Eggman stared puzzled and irritated.

Finally, knuckles released the emerald at his captured comrades. As they ducked for cover, the emerald shot straight into the robot, knocking him into the ground, gun, emerald and all. Rouge retrieved the emerald and ran with Sonic to Knuckles' side.

Eggman, steaming by this sudden act of heroism shouted. "ARGH! That's it! You may have rescued your friends, Knuckles, but you'll never make it out alive! Eggbot army! ATTACK!" All the gates surrounding them had opened, and a swarm of small, rounded, orange robots charged toward them.

Knuckles, Sonic, & Rouge all ran for the exit behind them. The exit doors, which were tremendously heavy, began to slowly close. As the three dashed down the hall for the exit, the swarm of robots began to crowd together. In little time, the three escapees were running from a seven-foot wave of robots.

The closing exit only meters away, Sonic took both Knuckles and Rouge and leapt between the crack with them and barely squeezed out. They lay on the ground outside the exit, gasping for breath, as the robot swarm raided the closed doors.

Knuckles helped up first Sonic, then Rouge, and looked back at the building. "I guess it's over, then."

Knuckles was suddenly thrown forward. Looking over his shoulder, Rouge had her arms around him. "Thank you for saving me."

Sonic smiled. "Thanks for saving me too, but don't expect a hug from me."

The ground began to shake violently, and the three were back on the ground. From the top of the structure rose a large grey missile. Eggman's voice echoed through the speakers. "Fire!" After more rumbling, and a loud roar of the rockets, the missile slowly ejected from the base.

Sonic got up first. "We need to stop that rocket!"

Rouge was next. "But we don't know where it's headed!"

Knuckles, still on the ground, tried to remember Tikal's words._ "...bring the emerald. It can give you power."_ Finally, Knuckles got up from the ground. "Sonic?" he called. Sonic turned around. Knuckles tossed the emerald to him. "Do you remember how to turn in your super form?"

Sonic looked at the emerald. "Yeah, why?"

"Do you think you can get all three of us to become super?"

Sonic glanced at Knuckles, then the emerald, then back at Knuckles. "Sure it looks like it'll have enough power for that."

Knuckles raised a clenched fist in the air. "We have a missile to crash." He pointed to the east. "We'll meet at Angel Island. Sonic, Rouge, bring with you any chaos emeralds you have. We'll need all the power we can get. I'll set up the shrine at the island."

Sonic took off for his beach house. Before Knuckles could go, Rouge grabbed him by the arm. "Knuckles?"

Knuckles spun around. "What is it, Rouge?" Rouge stared at the ground quietly. "What is it?" Knuckles repeated again.

Rouge shook her head. "Nothing."

Knuckles shrugged. "I'll meet you guys at Angel Island, okay?" Rouge nodded. Knuckles saw a hint of sadness on her face. Hesitantly, he put his arms around her. "It's okay, Rouge. You can tell me later."

Rouge smiled back. "Angel Island? Meet you there." With that, she began to flap her wings and fly away. Knuckles stood momentarily and watched her fly away, then ran toward his home.


	6. Chapter 5: Super Knuckles

**Chapter 5: Super Knuckles**

Note: YESSS! Fans rejoice! S.H. is **back**, baby! And there's only one chapter left after this (okay, maybe two).

Another note: Sonic, Knuckles, and Rouge are property of SEGA. I don't own 'em. Nor do I own the master emerald, Station Square, Eggman, etc. Universal Tower I made up, but I'm sure there is a building with that name.

It was about fifteen minutes after the missile had launched when Knuckles had finally reached the altar on his tiny, floating Angel Island. The thriving pine trees rustled in the wind, the sun shone everywhere on the grassy plains, and the Master Emerald stood on its shrine, illuminating the welcoming green aura Knuckles always saw.

Sonic was there. "Took ya long enough, Knuckle-head."

Knuckles immediately threw himself away from the beautiful surroundings. It was a time of urgency. "Did you bring any chaos emeralds?"

"Seriously!" Sonic didn't seem to listen the question. "You could've taken a cab or something!"

"Did you bring the chaos emeralds or not?"

"Whoa! Chill, Knux!" Knuckles hated when he called him that. "Yeah, I brought a couple." From behind his back, Sonic pulled out two chaos emeralds; one white, one yellow. "This is all I have. I somehow lose all of the emeralds every time I go super..."

"That's fine." Knuckles didn't really care for the rest of his story. "Will we be able to go super, then?"

Sonic sighed. "Well... by the looks of it, if your bat friend brings two emeralds as well, then yeah. We'll all be able to go super."

"And if she doesn't?"

Sonic sighed again. "Then it'll only be two of us."

"...That'll have to do." Knuckles looked around. "Has Rouge shown up yet?"

Sonic shrugged. "I thought she was with you."

Knuckles steamed. "Why? Just because she's my friend, you think she is always with me!"

Sonic laughed. "Chill, Knuckles! I didn't mean it like that! I just thought she might-"

"Rouge!" Knuckles shouted. He was looking to the east, where Rouge was crossing the wooden bridge to the island. "Did you bring any of the emeralds?"

She jumped into the air and flew the distance between her and Knuckles, then landed gracefully in front of them. "I did," she replied. Knuckles could tell she was still trying to catch her breath. She pulled out from behind her the green chaos emerald.

Knuckles didn't say anything. Rouge's patience was thinning. "Well?" she asked.

"Is that it?" Knuckles finally said.

"What do you mean 'is that it!'" Rouge shot back. "Don't you know how rare these are? There's only-"

"Seven," Sonic finished, "we know. But we need four of the chaos emeralds for all three of us to get into our super forms. Which means..." he looked between the other two. "One of us will need to sit out."

A long, yet thoughtful pause followed Sonic's speech. Rouge piped up first. "You guys do it." Sonic and Knuckles turned to her. "I'm only a jewel thief," she continued. "Sonic has his experience with being in his super form, and Knuckles has his strength behind him. I'm sure you guys can do it."

"And what about you?" This came from Knuckles, which sort of surprised Rouge. "You should probably find shelter."

Rouge smiled at his thoughtfulness. "I'll find a way to help."

The missile was visible over the horizon. The sun was near setting on the horizon to the west. It must've been pretty high up, Knuckles thought, since it appeared to be going so slowly.

"It looks like it's heading for Station Square." Sonic chuckled to himself. "Typical Eggman..."

Knuckles threw his arms in the air. "How can you be so calm about this? Station Square is going to blow up if-"

"-if you guys don't get your act together and stop it!" Rouge finished. "Both of you! Now! I'll go see what I can do." She headed across the bridge, but stopped nearly halfway there. She quickly turned around. "Oh, and good luck, Knuckles!"

Knuckles wondered why she hadn't wished Sonic luck too, but Sonic interrupted his thoughts. He shoved two chaos emeralds into Knuckles' chest. "Knuckles, stand on the other side of the master emerald! We don't have much time!"

Finally, Knuckles thought, Sonic is being serious now.

"Now concentrate your power into the two emeralds!" Sonic ordered once more.

Knuckles wasn't quite sure how he could concentrate power into emeralds. He closed his eyes and squeezed them, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes and saw that Sonic was being slowly lifted off his feet six inches off the ground, his eyes closed, and an emerald in each hand. Knuckles tried to mimic his position, but couldn't feel any difference in him. He opened his eyes again, but this time found himself at Sonic's height. He was floating now.

He closed his eyes and held the same position as before. Now he could feel the power in him. His quill stood on end. A bright burst of light flashed from the master emerald, and Knuckles felt his feet touch the ground softly again.

Knuckles opened his eyes and saw not Sonic, but a golden, floating Sonic with glowing red eyes. He was glowing with a brilliant, golden yellow aura, the two emeralds at the ground beside him. Super Sonic had returned.

Sonic opened his eyes, but didn't see Knuckles, but instead, a flashing red and lighter red echidna. His quills were long, almost touching his feet, and the metal gloves he wore over his fists bore many painful-looking spikes. After many long years, Super Knuckles was back.

The two swiftly flew toward the direction of the city-bound missile.

* * *

Rouge flew high to the rooftops of the Station Square. She didn't know anything about missiles, or what Eggman wants to do accomplish with this missile, but she thought that wherever he was trying to hit, the tallest building would be the easiest target. 

Universal Tower just happened to be the tallest building in Station Square. Over twenty stories tall, the giant, grey structure stands out amongst the others in Station Square, the highest being fifteen stories. It wouldn't be too hard to find.

After only minutes of locating the building, Rouge stood at the base of the building. Relieved, Rouge took the handle of the glass door and started for the lobby, but the door wouldn't budge. She slammed into the door in a humiliating fashion. Bystanders laughed.

After stepping back from the door, she read the small sign to the right. "Sorry, we're CLOSED," it read.

Rouge huffed. "Well, how am I to get to the top?" she asked herself. "Come on, Rouge, use your bat instincts!"

That's when she got an idea. This idea struck another idea.

* * *

"There it is!" Sonic shouted. It didn't take long to find the humongous hunk of flying metal in the sky. Their super flying speed was also a plus. "But what are we gonna do with it? We can't just destroy it! We might detonate it!" 

Knuckles was wondering the same question. "I don't know," he replied. "I don't know anything about missiles!"

"Hey, how 'bout this?" Sonic queried. "If we can't blow up the missile, how about moving it?"

They were now nearing the missile. Although they were still far from the city, the missile was still drawing closer and closer. "Hey, good idea!" Knuckles grinned. "Let's aim it at Eggman's base! Give him a taste of his own medicine!" Sonic grinned too.

Now they had reached the missile. The missile seemed to stretch as long as a baseball diamond. Knuckles and Sonic grabbed the fins near the rear end of the missile. Three blue flames roared out of the large thrusters. The hot air smelled of rocket fuel.

Over the loud thrusters, Knuckles shouted "Let's pull the missile from the fins!"

Sonic, on the other side of the thrusters, couldn't hear. "What!" he shouted back.

"I said," Knuckles shouted once more, "Pull from these fins!"

"What!"

The short-tempered Knuckles wanted to go over to Sonic's side and tell him, but time was running out. Just in the distance was Station Square. Knuckles shouted as loud as possible, "Pull!"

Knuckles started pulling on his fin immediately. He couldn't see over the flames if Sonic was pulling or not, but he didn't have the time to. With all his tremendous strength, Super Knuckles heaved the missile in the opposite direction. He caught a glance between the large blue flames to see Sonic pulling his side. At least he got the message.

But the pulling hadn't slowed the missile one bit. Knuckles stopped pulling and breathed for air. Still hanging on to the fin, he could see ahead Station Square, now a great deal closer. The missile, he could now see, was heading for Universal Tower. Screams and sirens can be heard faintly.

But something stood out on the top of the tower. Standing on the rooftop railing was a large, pink spot.

"Rouge!" Knuckles shouted.

Knuckles immediately let go of the fin and rushed for the front of the missile. His speed was just faster than the missile to get him to the front in time. Now the screams and sirens could be heard more clearly. The missile was drawing nearer.

Knuckles put both hands on the smooth, rounded cone and pushed against it. The power of the chaos emeralds was quickly draining. Regardless, Knuckles pushed with all his might to send the missile away. The missile finally began slowing down.

Seconds turned into minutes in Knuckles' desperate struggle. The missile was now only meters away from the top of the tower. Knuckles could faintly hear Rouge cheering him on from the tower. The mammoth missile was only inching closer to its destination. Knuckles' feet now touched the side of the tower.

With his remaining strength, he finally slowed the missile to a halt. He slowly pushed his arms to the sky until they were above his head. Finally, he let go.

The stray accelerating missile launched clear above Knuckles, only chipping off the antenna on the tower. The roaring missile rushed over the tower and into the sky on the other side. Knuckles had saved station Square.

Rouge turned and shouted with a large smile "You did it, Knuckles!" But her smile quickly faded away, for Knuckles wasn't at the top of the tower with her; his unconscious body was falling twenty stories into the concrete sidewalk below.


	7. Chapter 6: Knuckles and Rouge

**Chapter 6: Knuckles and Rouge**

Author's Note: Okay, seriously this time, there is one more chapter after THIS one. Then no more. But this one is short. Sorry.

Another Note: Where are my reviewers? To all my faithful reviewers (Summer/Kal0, Knux Girl, and "mdizzle") out there, I appreciate it.

Third Note: This chapter is really, really sad. Or at least it better be. If not, I'm not a good author.

* * *

A crowd of citizens circled around the entrance to the building - Knuckles' point of impact with the sidewalk. Knuckles lay on the ground without motion. The blood that was visible was minimal, yet it was suspected multiple parts of his body were broken. Some assumed he was unconscious, somethought he had deceased. But whatever his condition, no one had touched him or gone near him. An ambulance was called not too long ago, but with the city half-way evacuated, it would be about five or ten minutes before its arrival. 

Rouge busted out of the building entrance and shoved her way through the crowd. The sight of Knuckles was a shock. He lay on his back, his eyes closed, his head turned to the right.

Rouge immediately ran to him and kneeled down by his side. She looked over him "Knuckles?" she asked him softly. She didn't get a response. She tilted his head upright. "Knuckles?" she asked again. "Say something..." Knuckles still did not reply. She softly put her hand on his chest. No heartbeat. No signs of breathing.

Her heart sank. Her voice became lost. Her eyes began to burn. The world around her slowly vanished into darkness. It was only her and Knuckles. Her head hung low over him. Why him? Why must Knuckles be the one to die? Knuckles had left his life on the line for everyone else. To save his island, to save the city, to save Rouge.

The painful memory of the Meteor Herd struck. Even after they had fought savagely over the emerald, Knuckles wouldn't let Rouge go. She had to do the same for him.

"Knuckles," she said softly, "wake up. We want you back. We need you back!" She curled her arms around his neck and hugged him warmly. "_I_ need you back, Knuckles."

She slowly uncurled her arms and watched him. Knuckles had never wanted anyone to know who he really was. He had always shown a tough,fearless echidna.Rouge had always been the one to see through him. Deep down, Knuckles was just as caring and sympathetic as anyone else, if not more. That's just what Rouge saw laying in front of her: The sweet, innocent side of Knuckles. This had always been what she wanted.

She hesitantly laid a hand on his cold cheek. She closed her eyes,leaned overand kissed him softly on his lips.

The slow pain finally hit. Her burning eyes couldn't hold anymore. Rouge blinked away a small tear that crawled slowly down her cheek, across her nose, and dripped onto Knuckles' forehead.

She immediately threw herself away from his face and buried her face into his chest. She quietly sobbed and wept for his loss. A distant ambulance siren could now be heard.

She felt Sonic's hand pat her gently on the back. "Not now, Sonic," she said without turning to him. She soon felt another hand on her back, but its arm was on the other side. They both seemed to press her gently into Knuckles more. _This seems strange,_ she thought. _How can the same person have both of these arms unless..._

She stopped sobbing. She pulled her heavy head up. "Knuckles?"

"Rouge...?"

Knuckles' eyes slowly opened. Rouge quickly wiped away her tears. "Knuckles?" she asked again. "Are... are you okay?"

Knuckles carefully pulled his arms back and lifted himself upright. He smiled. "I'm fine."

Rouge threw her arms around him and quickly squeezed him. "Knuckles, you're alive!" The crowd she had forgotten about cheered and clapped.

Knuckles chuckled and hugged her back. "Yeah, I should be okay." The ambulance siren was now wailing. The ambulance revealed itself from a nearby street corner and halted beside the crowd. Two medics rushed out and helped him to his feet. Knuckles repeatedly told the two he felt fine, but the medics told him it was for is own health.

They lead him through two double doors in the back of the ambulance. Rouge tried to go in with him, but was immidiately ushered out by the medics.

"Rouge!" Knuckles shouted from the back of the ambulance. "I've gotta ask, why did you stand in the missile's way?"

"Because then I knew you'd save me,"Rouge said with a smile and a wink.

Knuckles smiled too.


	8. Chapter 7: Reunion

**Chapter 7: Reunion**

**Author's Note:** Well, fanfic, it looks like this is our final chapter. Ha ha! Anyway, since I was to make the ending to this as dramatic as possible, I'm adding all my final words here.

First, I'd like to thank all of my wonderful reviewers for giving their support and critique. You guys are what make me feel... accepted. But I'd also like to especially thank **Kal0 and Summer** for their thoughtful and humorous reviews, and for always being there. Hugs for you! I'd also like to thank** ShadowStalkr** for his effortful, and definitely helpful review. And, I'd like to thank **you**, whomever you may be, for reading this. Thank you very much.

Second, I'm very, deeply sorry that Knuckles and Rouge aren't really in character... it's very difficult to do this scene... I apologize ahead of time.

Third, since I won't have a message at the end of this, I want to request that reviewers give me a rating from 1-20 (A one being absolute rubbish, and a twenty being a perfect story) for the story as a whole. Thanks!

So enjoy the last installment of which SH has to offer. It's very long, and you won't be disappointed.

**_-Sonic Hero_**

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Twenty-one lonesome months and six days forlorn passed since the incident.

The first two weeks Knuckles had spent in the hospital. After running numerous tests on him, the doctors were taken aback by how little Knuckles was hurt. With only two small cuts, a sore back, and a one really large headache, Knuckles was still in one piece.

Even though he hadn't mentioned it to anyone, Knuckles had a feeling the Master Emerald, or perhaps even Tikal, was involved with this. Having helped protect him at Rouge's night club, the power of the Master Emerald may have helped heal him after his fall. It seemed like the most convincing reason to him.

But the only one who would know whether or not this was true was Tikal. Over and over, Knuckles tried to get Tikal to talk to him, but he couldn't figure out how he could get the emerald to glow as it did when she first spoke to him. Thus, he could never contact her, and gave up a few days after coming back to the altar from the hospital.

Tikal wasn't the only one he wasn't able to talk to. His companion, Sonic, and cohort, Rouge, had not visited him one time since then. Sonic wouldn't come to chat with him or tease him. Rouge wouldn't come to flirt with him or steal his emerald. At least if they'd even annoy him, it wouldn't be as quiet and boring.

That night felt to Knuckles like every other boring one. Knuckles began to doze off a bit earlier than normal. The sun setting in the mountains ahead, the light winds breezing by slowly, Knuckles nodded off, sitting on the altar, his head propped against the emerald. Tomorrow would be another boring day.

Then a vaguely familiar voice woke him minutes later. "Hey, Knuckles! Did ya miss me?"

Knuckles half-opened his eyes. "Rouge?" He rubbed his eyes and propped himself up. He eyed the person looming over him from head to toe.

_Crud,_ he thought, _it's Sonic._ His guess was wrong, but he couldn't help but smile at his new company.

Sonic laughed at his friend's response. "No, I'm not your bat friend." He grabbed Knuckles by the wrist and helped him to his feet. "How have you been, buddy?"

Knuckles scratched his head. "Bored, tired, and lonely..." he quickly remembered what he had wanted to ask. "Where have you been?"

Sonic looked past Knuckles. "Well..." He shook his head. "Forget it. You'll find out later. But the reason why-"

"No, come on, tell me!" Knuckles urged on, politely. "I haven't seen you in so long!"

"Look, I don't want to..." Sonic stated as calmly as he could "You'll find out later, 'kay?"

Knuckles stamped his foot. "What are you hiding from me?"

Sonic jumped back. "Whoa, chill, Knux!" Knuckles growled at him, but Sonic continued. "Don't you want to hear what I came here for?"

Knuckles tried to calm down. Maybe it _had_ been too long. "Right... sorry. Why'd you drop by?" Sonic handed him a small white card folded in half with two hearts on the front. A rushed handwritten "Knuckles" was written in the center. Knuckles gave a puzzled stare to Sonic. "From Amy?"

"From Rouge," Sonic said with a smile and a wink.

Immediately Knuckles body temperature skyrocketed, but his body stood frozen. What would Rouge want with him that involved a card with hearts on it? And in front of Sonic? Knuckles turned around and opened the folded card. In an elegant cursive style, the letter read:

_Knuckles,_

_I'm sorry I hadn't sent to you this letter years ago when I should have. I've been so busy with work recently, and the media just won't get out of my face... but I can't thank you enough for saving my life years ago._

_This is why I would like to invite you to my house tonight. Don't think of it as anything formal, just a friendly chat between the two of us. My address is on the back of this card. I'll see you there!_

_-Rouge the Bat_

_P.S.: If Sonic teases you for this, feel free to smack him around for me._

Knuckles laughed at the last line in the letter.

"Don't even think about it, Knuckles," said Sonic, as if he could read Knuckles' mind. He had apparently seen the letter beforehand.

Knuckles turned the card over. Sure enough, in the same cursive handwriting, was "_306 Starlight Lane. Station Square."_

"Go on ahead," Sonic walked over by his friend's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll watch your emerald."

Knuckles was hesitant. Should he really go? And could he trust that smirking blue hedgehog? Sonic _had_ saved many lives before. Perhaps he could be trusted to guard a giant piece of rock. "All right," he finally agreed, "I'll be back in a couple hours."

He was halfway across the bridge when he heard Sonic shout from behind, "Take your time!" Knuckles felt like running back and socking him in the gut, but instead, just shook it off and continued.

When Knuckles had finally left into the cave, heading for the train station, Sonic sighed with relief. "I thought he'd never leave! Knuckles really needs to chill." He then called out, "All clear!"

From out of the shrubbery across the bridge, Amy Rose jumped out and looked around cautiously. She called out to Sonic, "He's finally gone?" Sonic gave the thumbs-up. Amy then ran across the bridge and joined Sonic by the Master Emerald. "Phew! I thought he'd never leave!"

Sonic laughed and sat down, Amy soon sitting with him. Sonic was uncomfortably silent. Amy glanced at Sonic's nervous face and quickly broke the silence. "So... now that we're alone, what do you wanna do?" She rested her head on his shoulder. "Go see a movie?" She sprawled across his lap. "Take a stroll through the park?"

Sonic chuckled and rubbed her head. "Some other day... I kinda told Knuckles I'd watch his emerald..."

Amy squirmed to sit back up, now on his other side. "That's fine," she rubbed her shoulder against his, "we can just snuggle." Sonic blushed madly, Amy laughed. "Or, we can just watch the sunset together."

Sonic smiled, more calmly now. "That seems fine to me." He pulled Amy closer to his side and Amy threw her arms around his waist. Still suspended in the sky, but only kissing the horizon, the sun slowly descended behind the mountains. A long, yet settling silence came.

"Sonic?"

"Hmm?"

"Does this mean you'll marry me?"

"One step at a time, Amy."

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Guided by the street lights, Knuckles the Echidna strolled along Starlight Lane searching for the number 306 on the houses. The houses he passed seemed somewhat tall, and the overhead lights illuminating the two-way residential street seemed to ruin any sight of stars in the sky.

314... 312... 310... Knuckles looked up and saw the end of the street drawing near. Suddenly he worried about whether or not she gave the right address. Or perhaps he had taken a wrong turn somewhere? Or maybe this wasn't Starlight Lane after all!

Lost in his panic-driven thoughts, Knuckles stepped on chewed bubble gum. He took a few more steps, then stopped with an agitated groan. He tried grinding his foot along the sidewalk, which only resulted in spreading out the gum along his shoe.

He looked around uncomfortably for something rough to scrape his foot on, or something disposable to use as a tool. Knuckles noticed in front of the last house he passed a rectangular black place mat sat squarely on the front doorstep. Knuckles walked up to the mat and looked around. The lights inside were on, but the curtain to the large window to the right of the door was drawn closed.

Quickly and quietly, Knuckles shuffled his feet on the welcome mat. He looked down and smiled at the sight of the bothersome, sticky gum stretched out on the mat.

Knuckles began to walk away, but slowed to a stop when he sensed a bizarre feeling about the house. He turned around and briefly studied it – a purplish-pink exterior, a few drawn windows, and a simple garage – when he finally saw the number by the door: 306.

Relieved, he ran to the door as quickly as possible and knocked on the door. Nervousness suddenly gripped him. What if Rouge wasn't home? Where would he go? Or worse, what if she was home?

"Coming!" he heard her voice call from inside. Just hearing her voice again brought back memories.

Then Knuckles broke out into sweating. What if she didn't recognize him? What if she forgot about him coming? What if she forgot who he was completely?

When the door had opened, quickly and startlingly, Knuckles caught a full glimpse of Rouge the Bat – all of his nervousness immediately vanished. She wore the same black and pink suit she had worn the night on the balcony. Her mouth was slightly opened in wonder, Knuckles smiled, somewhat embarrassed.

"Knuckles..." said Rouge, in the gentle, compassionate tone that caressed Knuckles' ears. She walked slowly onto her doorstep, nose to nose with him. She felt Knuckles' warm, tightened breath on her face. Knuckles' eyes were open in surprise, Rouge's eyes were narrowed.

Slowly, Rouge curled her arms around Knuckles and softly embraced him. She rested her head on his shoulder and gave a gentle smile. "I missed you." Knuckles' breath caught short. Hesitantly, he smiled and hugged her back. "I... missed you too."

Almost immediately, Rouge jumped back from him. For the first time in nearly two years, Knuckles saw her blush. "Oh, umm, please come in!" She opened the door and let Knuckles in.

Rouge's house was surprisingly ordinary - a plain, royal blue sofa, a television of moderate size, and a white-tiled kitchen connected. _Maybe because she works at a high-tech club,_ Knuckles thought, _she lives here? It seems so ordinary._

Rouge took his wrist and tugged his arm. "Follow me. I want to show you my favorite part of the house."

Knuckles closely followed Rouge up the stairs and to the second door on the right of a long hallway. Knuckles waited anxiously for her to open the door to her "favorite part of the house," but Rouge only set her hand on the doorknob, as if waiting for something.

"Is this the room?" Knuckles asked, as politely as possible.

"This part of the house..." she smiled sweetly, "was not part of the house when I moved here." Finally, she turned the knob and pushed the door open, revealing behind it a narrow, dark staircase. She motioned with her hand to follow her, as she walked up into the darkness. "I had this made a few days after I got back home from the skyscraper incident." Knuckles hurriedly followed her until he met her at the door at the top.

As Rouge slowly opened the door at the top, Knuckles looked on, his mouth halfway opened, in astonishment. Rouge had just led him to a large, white balcony, overlooking the other houses. The view was extraordinary; Knuckles could see for nearly a mile in almost every direction. The mountains, in the distance, could be easily seen. If he looked closely enough, he might just spot his emerald shrine.

But what really made the sight something to behold were the stars. With the street lights far below them, almost all of the stars were visible. Almost every constellation Knuckles could remember was evident. The sky itself had been filled a dark indigo, just settling into the nighttime scene. More memories of the hotel came back to Knuckles.

Rouge led Knuckles to the end of the balcony. The cold night air breezed by Knuckles as he leaned on the white stone railing. Rouge did the same to his left. "Nice night."

Knuckles stared into the night sky. "Yeah..." he glanced at Rouge, who seemed to be watching the sky as well. Knuckles sighed and looked down to the streets. Knuckles guessed they were three stories high. "So... you wanted to chat?"

Rouge looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?" Her eyes shot open. "Oh, right! My letter!" She looked to the stars again. "Well... I thought we could talk with each other again. It's been a while..."

A question immediately came to Knuckles mind. "What have you been up to?" he asked, a bit rushed. "I mean... since I haven't seen you for a while..."

Rouge lowered her head. Knuckles looked at her with curiosity and sympathy. Her sparkling green jewel eyes, for a second, hinted two lonely years. "I've been busy with work. This balcony required a large sum of money." With the same eyes, she gazed at Knuckles. "Knuckles, I'm sorry I haven't talked to you recently. We both have our jobs..."

Knuckles smiled, hoping it would cheer Rouge up. "It's okay, Rouge. We're both here... together again." Rouge stepped closer, but Knuckles went on. "Maybe we can hang out again sometime! Maybe walk through the park, or have dinner?" Rouge stepped closer. Her eyes were almost all the way open, but her mouth showed no emotion. Slowly, Knuckles tried to step back, but it didn't seem to help. "Just... the two of us..."

The world fell silent. Rouge looked upon Knuckles, with less grief and misery, their noses almost touching. Knuckles could feel her warm breath on his face. He could very clearly feel his racing heart beat.

Finally, Rouge curled her arms around his waist and embraced him tightly. She rested her head softly on his shoulder, as she did earlier.

Bewildered Knuckles stared at her. True, it had been two years since he had last seen Rouge... but a hug? His stomach felt empty, even though he had eaten on the way. His heart felt empty, in a way it hadn't before. Millions and billions of thoughts and assumptions spun around his mind.

With one long sigh, Knuckles put his arms around her. A sudden numbness came to him. His heart stopped racing, his stomach no longer bothered him, and all the thoughts and problems clouding his mind vanished. Knuckles smiled. He was at peace. He tightened his grip on Rouge. "I missed you, too, Rouge."

Rouge smiled and rubbed her head against him. "How about tomorrow? At Twinkle Park?"

"Hmm?" he asked, still smiling.

"Tinkle Park," she repeated. "You wanted to do something together. I've never really been to there before... but I've heard Amy likes it."

Knuckles searched his memories. Twinkle Park... the cutesy, yet techno amusement park near the beach at Station Square. Knuckles' eyes shot open. "You mean that amusement park designed for young couples?"

Rouge finally pulled away, but still stood close to Knuckles. Although she wouldn't blush, Knuckles could tell Rouge was a bit embarrassed. "Yeah..." she looked away from him. "They allow couples to get in for free. I... kinda need someone to come with me..."

"You mean... like a date?" Knuckles asked, although he knew what she meant.

Rouge shook her head and began to walk away. "Never mind, it's... it was a dumb idea anyway."

She felt Knuckles' hand gently take hers. She stopped and slowly turned around. Knuckles smiled calmly and sweetly, a smile she had not seen for a long time. "I'll be your date, Rouge." Rouge stepped nearer to him and smiled, as well. Continued Knuckles, "I've just... never really seen why people think so fondly of young couples, though."

Rouge laughed, still holding his hand. "Because it's... cute, I guess."

"What is?"

With little hesitation, Rouge arched her arms around Knuckles' neck, and kissed him. Her sudden act stunned Knuckles, but only momentarily. Hesitantly, but confidently, he, too, put his arms around her and kissed her back.

Seconds melted away into minutes. Rouge absorbed as much as she could from her kiss, as did Knuckles. Time stood still, as did the two. His back firmly pressed against the wall, Knuckles had then been sandwiched between the cold, hard wall and Rouge's soft, warm body.

Finally, Rouge parted from him, with both yearning for more. "That," she said at last, with a smile and a wink, "is love."

Knuckles blushed, but immediately took Rouge by the hands. "I'll gladly go with you, under one condition."

:"...which is?" she asked, still smiling.

"That you promise that we meet like this every day. No interruptions, no duties, nothing standing in between us."

She put her arms around him, like she had before. "Of course, Knuckles... I love you."

Knuckles smiled and held her. "And I love you, too, Rouge."

They kissed again, now without worries or doubts. The world as they knew it faded away from them. There was no yesterday. There was no tomorrow. All there was, and ever will be, is Knuckles and Rouge.

**The End**

(Thank you for reading!)


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